If You Love Someone Set Them Free
by explicit.reckless.violence
Summary: {full disclaimer/summary inside} "If they come back to you, then it was meant to be" Gianna's always regretted the way things ended between herself and former boyfriend Zack Ryder. But when the truth comes out and he shows up again, is it too late, or is their story just beginning? oc x zack ryder
1. disclaimers and whatnot

Disclaimers & Whatnot

I don't own the WWE, I don't own any of the superstars on the roster, and I'm not making any profit. Nor am I suggesting or claiming to know what any of them are like offscreen. This story is completely fictional, and it's not something I'd normally write.

In fact, I started to not post it, because nobody really reads stories about Zack Ryder, but hey, maybe someone will like this and read it. If not, the idea's out of my head, so I've accomplished what I set out to do.

Again, I am NOT claiming to know anyone on the roster personally, nor am I profiting from this.

Reviews are loved greatly, especially if you like the story, want me to keep going with it.

Warnings:

Flashbacks here and there. I post this because flashbacks seem to annoy some readers. These all have a purpose, I promise. I'll try my damndest to avoid having too many, however.

Eventual sex. Look, I'm not going to lie. I can be a horny chick. Writing is sort of a release for me in that area. ;p If for some reason you can't handle reading sex here and there, and random fluff, then you probably will not enjoy this.

There won't be much wrestling in this, considering Gianna, the ofc has nothing to do with the wrestling world. I got this idea when writing my one for Dean Ambrose, but it's kind of completely different, in the fact that I chose deliberately to not have Gianna be affiliated with wrestling.

slight oocness, again i say this. I won't always perfectly nail people's characters, but I really do try. I just hope to hell that it's not to the point that it offends anyone, really. So I'm sorry if anything offends anyone.

Summary:

Gianna thought she had everything until her longtime boyfriend Matt, (aka Zack Ryder) signed with the WWE and went on the road. On their last weekend together, while the show is in their hometown, he asks her to come along with him, and the next thing that happens is probably the beginning of where it all went wrong for her.

She tells him no, when everything in her is telling her to say yes. But when her meddling mother compounds the problem, when he shows up months later, telling Zack a series of lies about Gianna and how the baby she's pregnant with is not his, but some other mans, and he and Gianna fight about it, it further perpetuates a bad situation, making it worse.

It's been 4 years now, and they're thrown together again when an old friend of their's, (another ofc) finally sees Zack again and unknowingly tells him the truth, is he too late?


	2. how it all started - flashback

_(This is meant to be short. The following chapters will be much longer I promise. This is just sort of detailing how the couple in question got to their current situations in life and the way things happened, how they're ultimately going to be 'fixed' or attempted to be fixed at least. Again, I am NOT claiming to know anyone on the roster personally, this is merely a what if that popped into my head, wouldn't go away.)_

_Introduction_

_(Flashback / Intro - 4 years earlier)_

_They lie in bed, side by side as he cradled her head on his muscular chest, his other arm crossed behind his own head. "So.."_

"_So.."_

"_Did you change your mind yet? About coming with me? You have to, it won't mean anything without you there, Gigi." Matt muttered as Gianna sighed and sat up._

"_I can't, Matt.. There's my mom, and college and.. What if I did and something happened to us?"_

_Matt Cardona sighed as he looked at her and then asked, "So that was goodbye, wasn't it?"_

"_It doesn't have to be.. I mean you're coming back here, right? Right?"_

"_I'll be gone a lot, Gigi.. I was hoping.." he muttered as Gianna bit her lower lip, tearing up. After all they'd been through, it came down to this._

_If she stayed, she'd always hate herself. She knew she loved him, that there'd never be anyone else._

_If she left, and she wound up losing him anyway, it happened all the time because it'd happened to her own mother, her father had been a semi professional boxer and they'd had this long cycle of loving and leaving and hurting one another.._

_It'd kill her._

"_What about me, Matt? I have plans, college and.. My mom needs me here.. If I left her.."_

"_She would survive, Gianna. She just does this to you to keep you close, make you bitter like she is, babe. Don't you see that?"_

"_That's not fair. Besides, she loves you, Matt.."_

"_I'm not saying she doesn't, babe, but think about it.. Every time you bring up the subject of leaving for any reason, she tries to stop you.. Or does something so you won't." he pointed out, knowing he'd messed up when he saw the hurt and slightly angry look in her eyes.__  
_

_Gianna sighed to herself. On some level, even now, she knew it was true, that her mother was purposely holding her back, because if not for her mother's own fears and insecurities, her bitterness, Gianna wouldn't even have to think about this.._

_Maybe that's when she got the most scared that it wasn't meant to be. If they were fighting over this, then it wouldn't be long until there were other things to fight over.. What then? Her cell phone vibrated and she sighed as she said quietly "I need to go, Matt. But I really do love you and if this is what you want.."  
_

_She grabbed her jacket and pulled him into a long and slow kiss as she said quietly, "If you love something.. Set it free."_

_Then she turned and walked out of the door and got on the elevator, sitting on the floor, crying all the way to the lobby of the hotel he was staying in._

_The drive back to her house (the show had been in a nearby town, and she'd jumped at the chance to see him again, be in his arms again, feel his kiss the way he touched her, again) was a long and quiet one, and mostly, she felt like she was just doing the death march._

_Because she knew even now, that no matter what happened on his end, for her, he'd **always** be the one that got away._

_A few months later, though Gianna wouldn't realize it until years later, almost too late, Zack Ryder, or Matt Cardona, as she knew him, did go back to their hometown, intent on leaving with Gianna._

_Gianna hadn't been home, but her mother had. And her mother did what she felt was right, the best thing for her daughter, made up this series of lies that wouldn't be straightened out for years. After all, she couldn't allow her daughter to face the same lonliness and bitterness and pain she'd endured all the years she'd had with Gianna's father being in and out of her life now could she?  
_

_See, Gianna was pregnant, and she'd been intending on telling him that weekend, when the show was in town again, and maybe fixing her mistake, leaving town with him, never looking back.._

_But thanks to her mother's interference, done with her daughters own 'best interest' at heart, when Gianna did show up at the show, she found an angry Zack/Matt, and they had a huge fight._

_She left that night, didn't look back. At least she didn't until life threw them together yet again, years later._

_But would the truth come out in time for him to stop Gianna from making the biggest mistake of her life?_

_And who helped him figure out what Gianna's mother did to keep them apart indefinitely, in the first place?_

_(Present Day, 2013)_

There's only so much a guy can take before he completely snaps. For Zack, he personally thought he'd been through almost everything life could throw at him and then some, especially when one considered that he went from being a championship title holder, to well...

The 'joke' people seemed to think he was now.

When you added to that that he'd lost the one girl he'd have died to share the ups and downs, his main supporter, besides his family, years ago when he 'found out' that she wasn't the girl he thought she was, well..

Most people would be about ready to throw it in. And the New York native had to admit that lately, he was definitely starting to see the appeal in that option. It just felt like he had nothing left and nowhere left to go really. His head and his heart weren't really in it anymore, and not just because the company he worked for, doing what he'd dreamt of doing since he was a teenager kept dicking him around about his 'place' and giving him the push he so desperately needed to get him 'over' again or completely, even..

Because he was just plain tired. And all he saw when he went to sleep at night was her face, her eyes when he yelled the things he yelled at her, over and over again. Gianna, his former girlfriend from before he became the man that everyone knew as the Long Island Iced Z, their 'Internet' champion.. She'd been on his mind lately.. Something she'd said the time before the last time they ever saw one another..

_'If you love someone, set them free'_

Lately, it seemed like the freedom she'd supposedly given him when she turned down his offer then according to her own mother, 'found someone she liked more' months later, well, the freedom was more like a noose than anything. He didn't like leaving anything unfinished, and the very last time they'd spoken, they'd had the worst fight ever and he'd said some things..

He'd been an asshole, and sometimes he wondered if there weren't more than met the eye to her showing up that night.

"Guess I'll never really know that now, will I?" he muttered as he raked his hand through his hair and limped down to the medics office, just as a tour group was walking through the backstage area.

He heard a little girl giggle then call out his usual cheery "Woo Woo Woo You Know It" chant and normally, the mood he was in right now, he'd ignore it.. But something made him look over for a moment, to the source of the noise and he blinked when he saw Giannna's closest friend Tara, holding a little girl in her arms as she tried desperately to shush the little girl.

He limped over and tapped Tara.

"What do you want?" Tara asked calmly, her voice stiff as she looked up at the man who'd basically just cut Gianna, her best friend, and his own daughter Audrey out of his life as if they meant nothing to him.

"Thought I'd say hey." Zack muttered, wondering why Tara seemed so angry. Normally, she was a bubbly, friendly person, not too much unlike Gianna, his former girlfriend, his 'first love'..

The little girl in her arms tugged her sleeve and then pointed at him. "I wann get a picture wif him, Aunty Tara."

"Not a good idea, sweetie."

"Let her, Tara. It's not a big deal." Zack said as he bent down, took the little girl in his arms. As soon as he picked her up, he couldn't explain the odd feeling he felt, that only got stronger when he looked at her eyes and her hair coloring..

Something nagged at him about her, but he put it off to nothing. After all, Gianna's mom told him from her own mouth that Gianna met someone else before he was even back on the road well.. And to his knowledge, her mother wouldn't lie about something as important as who her grandchild's father was, right?

Something felt off about the whole thing but Tara's next statement, or outburst, rather, would only confirm what he was getting the sinking feeling was the truth..

"Why hold her now? You were too damn good to come back and be with Gianna, you left her alone like you did, you said all that shit to her that night she came here to tell you about Audrey.. Why hold your daughter now?" as she took Audrey and picked her up, shifting her own son Benji in her arms so she could carry both of them.

Zack stood there as the words she'd just yelled at him echoed in his mind... When it sank in, he jogged down the hallway, looking for the tour group she'd been with, but they'd gone already.

He swore as he kicked at a nearby garbage can and then sat down. His friend and former tag team partner Curt Hawkins, as well as Santino Marella, Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel, Kofi Kingston walked over to find out what was wrong with him and when he explained the situation, they all immediately told him that it sounded like, in their opinion, Gianna's mother had done what she wanted all along and kept the two of them apart by lying. And if she'd lied to him, she'd probably lied to Gianna too.

Or just never mentioned his coming by, whichever was more convenient for the woman.

Left with no other options, he realized they had downtime coming up, since the 4th of July was coming up. And he finally found a way to get in touch with Tara, because first, he just wanted to confirm what he suspected by now, and straighten out everything Tara believed to be true..

If he had her help then maybe this time, Gianna would open her eyes, see what her mother had been doing to her all along.

He'd sat back and watched her give up nearly everything for her mother, and she never said a word... But he wasn't about to give up on her, and he damn sure wasn't letting his daughter grow up thinking whatever Gianna's mother saw fit to tell her...

Tara answered her cell phone as she raised a brow at the caller id. "What do you want? Look, we didn't come for your money or anything, so rest easy. Tonight was Audrey's late birthday present from me. Gianna was gonna come but she was working. Besides, the jackass she's dating doesn't like her going to that stuff, nor does he like Audrey watching."

"I want to tell you something. Shut up and listen, Tara." Zack said calmly as he paced the hallway, holding his finger to his lips and giving his friends the 'silence is golden, duct tape is silver' look to keep them quiet.

"What do you have to tell me? And why tell me? Why not tell Gianna? She's the one who deserves to hear it."

"I'm telling you because if we both go to her, after I explain this, then she might actually believe it. What do you mean jackass she's seeing?"

"Some guy her mother fixed her up with.. A real clingy possessive jerk. I think he's.. Nevermind, why the hell do you care even?"

"Because, damn it, I love her and that's my daughter." Zack growled, getting frustrated. He'd forgotten just how stubborn his former girlfriend's best friend could be when she really tried.

Apparently tonight she was really trying.

"Explain your thing then." Tara said as she rolled her eyes at the phone then got Benji and Audrey settled down in the floor of her living room, they were both conked out from excitement of having been to a real live wwe show.

"First of all, when I said those things that night.. Any idea what she might have been coming here to tell me?"

"Just that she made a mistake and that she was pregnant and that she didn't want to be alone, she wanted to be with you. She had everything packed, she'd have left with you that night."

"If I hadn't behaved like an asshole.. Yeah, I figured as much.. I actually went to her mom's earlier that day, and her mother told me that I wasn't even out the door and she was already seeing another guy. I should have known that she'd lie."

Tara gaped at the phone then demanded, "What about the letters Gianna sent?"

"What about the ones I sent her?"

"You didn't. She never got a single one of them."

"Yeah? Well then I didn't either."

Tara swore to herself and asked, "You're thinking the same thing I am right now, am I right?"

"Basically, yes."

"God I've always wanted to strangle that woman.. Gianna got into Juliard.. But her mother 'got sick' and she never got to go." Tara muttered as she asked, "How long are you in town.. We might just be able to fix this.. I'm her best friend, I love that girl like a sister and I hate this guy her mother's shoving down her throat.. He's just.. he's creepy."

"Like how?"

"Like the I love you so much I never want you out of my sight and if you leave I'll kill you kind." Tara sighed as she admitted quietly, "She's pretty much given up on you.. If you're gonna do something? Now's the time."

"I'm on downtime right now. Me and the guys came back here.. I'm sort of filming a new web show.. Or thinking about it." Zack said as he asked, "Do you have her number?"

Tara gave him the number and he grabbed a pen and a napkin, using Justin's back as a surface he wrote the number down then hung up with Tara.

Tara shut her phone, smirking to herself as she muttered, "And finally things will be like they were always supposed to. And there's not a damn thing her mother can do to stop it."


	3. july 4th 2013 pt 1

_(Again, I am NOT claiming to know anyone on the roster personally, this is merely a what if that popped into my head, wouldn't go away. It might not be a very long story, I'm not quite sure yet, to be completely honest.)_

* * *

July 4th 2013

"You two about ready?" Tara asked as she looked at her best friend Gianna, eyed her warily, having noticed a bruise on her left cheek.

"What happened?"

"Had a fight." Gianna admitted as she added, "And when I got done with kicking his ass, he left. He better be gone for good, that's all I'm saying. Why's it so important we be at the fireworks show at exactly 1 anyway? You got a hot date?"

Tara declined to answer. If she told Gianna what she'd done, what she'd went behind her back and done, for her own good, Gianna wouldn't go. Because she still insisted that he was done with her, that he'd basically told her how he felt about her the night they fought.

"Just because. You know how parking is." Tara lied easily as Gianna looked at her then snickering said "No.. You have a date. That's it, right?"

"Maybe?"

Her mother's yelling from the front yard had her groaning, rolling her eyes as she gritted her teeth and said "Just fucking great. Jerome went straight to her last night."

Tara groaned and internally wanted to choke the woman more than anything right now.

"Mom, this is my life, it is NOT up for discussion. Jerome and I are done. End of story. He hit me last night, and I will not be sitting around, waiting on him to do it again."

"From what he says, you two fought over you deliberately doing something he specifically asked you not to do, letting Audrey go to that live event for her birthday?" her mother said sternly, glaring at her daughter. When was she going to learn that the Cardona boy, whom she hadn't ever really liked Gianna seeing, was a part of her past.. And that she had a little one, she needed a man to take care of her.

Sure Jerome was stern and strict, but he was a dependable man, home every night. Gianna could make herself love him if she'd only **forget** Audrey's real father, give Jerome a proper chance. Besides, the man was well off and he could support Gianna, he was willing to raise Audrey as his own even if he didn't really particularly care for having to do it.. And if something were to happen, both of 'her girls' would be taken care of, because he, as mentioned before, had a good deal of money.

"Yeah? Well she's my daughter, and I saw no reason not to. Jerome can just get the fuck over it. We're done, and if you'll excuse me, we're all running late. I'm taking Audrey to see fireworks."

"Not until you talk to him, Gianna Leslie. You listen to me, girl, and go fix this now. Do not ruin this."

"Mother, move now. I'm an adult, you have no control over my life anymore. If you want him or his fucking money, ma? He's all yours. I'll never love the guy, and frankly, I actually hate the bastard."

Her mother glared at Tara who simply smirked and rolled her eyes. She'd never liked that girl, either. All either the Cardona boy, or that so called best friend of hers had ever tried to do was take Gianna away from her in some way, whether it be love or concern.

"Mimi come wif us?" Audrey asked as Gianna laughed then said "No. I'm sure she's going to be real busy, Audrey. It's just gonna be the two of us, okay?"

Gianna's mother glared. Her hold was slipping on her daughter, she was going to mess up her entire life if she didn't think fast, do something.

Gianna glared back and mouthed, "Go on, mom.. Go try and fix this. I'll just deliberately mess it up again and again and again."

She'd made up her mind the night before.. If she couldn't be with the man she really wanted? Well then she would raise her daughter completely alone. And she was about to start limiting her mother's exposure to her baby girl drastically, because she was beginning to see her mother's relationship with both of them wasn't a healthy one.

Thanks to a therapist she'd started seeing to deal with her childhood, losing Matt, her other emotional issues. Surprisingly, it was helping to shed a lot of light in a lot of different areas of her life, also.

She'd realized that she'd been letting her entire life pass her by, letting her mother's fears and 'worries' override her own good judgement, and that at 26, she'd never knowingly made a decision on her own, that her mother hadn't somehow 'controlled' the outcome of, ensuring she'd never actually really been hurt.

Except the night she told the love of her life she couldn't leave town with him and go on the road. And knowing what she realized now, it sickened her. The one decision she agonized over, the only one she'd ever made had been completely and totally wrong.

Her mother muttered something and got into her car, driving away. Gianna groaned and then muttered quietly , "It's called letting go, ma. I'm 26, it's high time you did that." as she fastened Audrey into her hot pink car seat.

"Why mimi no come over anymore?" Audrey asked as Gianna said quietly, "Because Mimi comes over too much and she's doing things that are gonna hurt us, not help us, baby girl."

"That what she say about you to her fwiend Milly." Audrey said as Gianna's head riveted around and she asked in curiousity and concern, "What else does Mimi say?"

"Just that she's glad she told my real daddy a lie and made 'im leave." Audrey said as she looked at her mother and her 'aunt' Tara with wide warm brown eyes.

Gianna's fists clenched and she growled as Tara looked at her friend and asked, "You alright?"

"I will be as soon as I strangle my so called mother. Damn it, she.. Ughh, I just.. I can't right now." Gianna said as she slumped back, leaning her head against the back of the seat.

Just another of the many things her mother had went behind her back and 'fixed', she'd discovered recently.

"Sorry the day's pretty much ruined, Ta." Gianna muttered as she raked her hand slowly through thick brown hair and bit her lower lip, angrily, adding, "I probably won't be much company."

The park and lake came into view, and Gianna stared out the window of the car, thinking to herself about how much damage she had to undo, how much she had to fix, thanks to her mother's own little brand of 'love'.

"So.. Who are you meeting tonight, Tara?"

Audrey giggled. By this point, she'd sort of figured out who her real father was, her mom kept pictures of him around everywhere and she was a really bright little girl, so she'd sort of known her daddy was WWE's Zack Ryder for about a year now. And she knew her aunt Tara had talked to the man last week, was going to be here tonight to see her, and her mommy, fix things that got messed up.

Gianna looked at her daughter, raising a brow as she said "Oh, I see how it is, you tell my kid before you tell me."

"It's not who I'm seeing tonight, Gi.. It's who you're meeting tonight." Tara said as Audrey hugged her mommy and said "It a surprise, mommy."

"I'm not so sure I'm gonna like this surprise." Gianna muttered quietly as the four of them settled in on a beach blanket.

Meanwhile, Gianna's mother was talking to Jerome, pleading with the man to give her daughter just one more chance. "Whatever it takes, I promise you won't regret this."

"She's disobedient and that little girl is always underfoot.."

"If you go back now she'll be better.. And I'll talk to Audrey."

"She's ungrateful and anyway, why is it your business? What are you getting out of this?"

"Just peace of mind.. If she's with you then someone else can't come back one day.."

The mere thought of another man had the controlling and rich, dominant male growling in anger as he paced, swearing...

Meanwhile, at the park, Gianna was still trying to adjust to the idea that supposedly, Zack was coming to the fireworks show..

In her mind, she kept going back over the things they'd screamed at one another. Could this all be fixed at last? Gianna found that one last glimmer of hope resurfacing, but she stubbornly refused to believe that she'd actually be that lucky.


	4. july 4th 2013, pt 2

_(Again, I am NOT claiming to know anyone on the roster personally, this is merely a what if that popped into my head, wouldn't go away. It might not be a very long story, I'm not quite sure yet, to be completely honest.)_

* * *

July 4th 2013 , continued

Aerosmith was playing as she and her daughter sat on the hood of her friend Tara's SUV, watching the moon rise in the sky slowly. She noticed that it was almost 9, he wasn't here yet. "I was stupid to think he'd show.. After what we said to one another that night?" Gianna muttered quietly, as Audrey pointed to some constellations, and Gianna named them off for her while tickling the little girl.

"Mommy, that tickles." Audrey gasped as she stopped laughing and then said quietly, "Ya won't make me go see mimi much anymore, will ya?"

"Not if you don't want to, pixie.. Why? Has mimi been doing anything wrong to you?" she asked in concern, anger flaring as she wondered what her mother had been putting her daughter through when left with her while Gianna was at work at the clothing/jewelry shop she and Tara ran together downtown.

"No but she always sayin you not doing what you supposed to with me." Audrey said quietly as Gianna bit back her anger then asked, "What else does she say?"

"Just that sometimes she wonder if she don't needa make us move in with her." Audrey mumbled, afraid she'd just made her mother mad. She hadn't wanted to cause anything, she was just so sick of hearing her grandmother constantly putting down how her mommy took care of her, because to Audrey, her mommy was doing everything she was supposed to.

And for the most part, she was doing it completely by herself.

Her little brown eyes scanned the park for him again and she reminded herself that he was an adult, maybe he had better things to do.. After all, her mimi kept saying that his job took him away from home a lot.

She also said he wasn't good enough for her mommy, but she knew her mommy thought otherwise, because there were pictures of him with her mommy everywhere in their little house.

Gianna's cell phone ringing had her swearing when she answered, realized that it was a lawyer friend of her mothers calling her.. Apparently, sometime between this afternoon and now, her own mother decided to make this whole thing extremely personal. And she was going to attempt to take her daughter from her.

The lawyer was just calling to let her knew her mother had filed papers.

"Damn it." she swore as she threw the phone a good few feet away and kicked at the SUV she'd slid off the hood of. Tara walked over holding her son Benji and Gianna grabbed Audrey then said quietly, "She's not going to do this." as Tara hugged her best friend and then caught sight of Zack, some of the other guys on his roster at the show, coming in, looking around intently.

Audrey knew what was going on, she'd heard her mom and her aunt talking. She didn't want to live with her grandmother, the woman was always being nosy and butting in, she never let Audrey do anything, and she always talked about her mommy.

Zack scanned the crowded park intently, looking for Gianna or his daughter. He caught sight of them, sitting with Tara and her son. "There they are, guys."

Justin and Tyson smirked, elbowed one another as Dolph smirked and said "Yeah, you marked the kid, Ryder."

"That he did." Kofi muttered as they started to walk over. For a few minutes they hung back, Zack had to just stand, get his head around all of this.

Her mother had kept them apart. Well, that and their own stupidity. But maybe it wasn't too late to fix things and be together again like he'd wanted all along.

"Well?"

"Give me a minute, guys. Trying to get my shit together." Zack muttered as Dolph gave him a shove which sent him straight into Gianna's back.

Gianna swore as she turned around, ready to chew the ass of whatever drunk had shoved her while she was holding her daughter, but instead, she found herself face to face with him again after all this time. For a moment she just stared then she sheepishly picked up her phone and handed it to Tara. "M-Matt?"

Zack grinned a little and then said quietly, "Wow.. You look even more amazing than I tortured myself with when I tried to picture how this would go if.." going silent when he realized he was babbling like a jackass in front of 'his boys'.

Dolph snickered and then said aloud, "Sorry, Gianna... He was takin too damn long to just come over and say hi. Thought I'd help a brother out."

Audrey blinked as she looked around at the various men she was used to only seeing on a tv screen and only when she was with her mom or her 'aunt' Tara. She giggled, hiding her face, going shy.

"She must get that from mommy." Justin Gabriel joked as Zack swiftly elbowed him and gave him a dirty look mouthing, "Audrey doesn't really know.. I mean unless Gianna told her.."

Tara smiled as she said "Gianna? I'm gonna go take a walk with Benji."

Audrey started to ask if she could go too but Gianna shook her head and said "No baby girl, you need to stay right here with me. There's something we have to talk about.."

"Mommy, I not stupid.. He my daddy. You have pictures of him everywhere." Audrey chimed in as she held out her arms, wanting to go to Zack, who took her. "So did you know that night at the arena?"

Audrey giggled and held her fingers up, indicating that she maybe did a little bit, and that's why she ran over to him.

Gianna raised a brow but then stifled a laugh as she looked at Zack again.. " I can't.. You're really standing here.. After everything we yelled at one another that night.. And what my mother told you about me.. It's not true, I was coming to leave with you that night.. And to tell you that."

He held his finger up to her lips and shook his head as he said calmly, "I get it.. Once Tara and I ran into one another at the show backstage, and I figured out what she thought, and then went back, thought about what your mother told me that day.. Did she give you any of the letters I wrote?"

"No.. And she didn't send any of mine. I thought they were getting out, but she'd go behind me, get them out of the mail box and put them up in her room when I was back at school again for the week."

"Damn it."

"It's okay, Matt." Gianna muttered quietly as he shook his head, fought back the anger. "It's really not."

"It really is. It's not too late to fix all of this. If you.."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Zack asked as Gianna nodded and then said quietly, "My mom.. She's going to try and take Audrey from me.. Because I won't marry this guy she keeps shoving down my throat.."

Zack slid his arm around her and then asked in concern, " Did he.. That bruise."

"Yeah, but trust me.. I nailed him with a pan of boiling hot water after the fact, so he left in a really, really big hurry." Gianna said as she sighed and then said quietly, "I wish I'd listened to you the night you first asked me to come with you on the road.. But my mom.. I didn't realize what she was doing, how she was with me was nowhere near healthy until I started seeing a therapist.."

Zack looked at her in concern and pulled her against him as he adjusted Audrey in his arm, smiling as he felt her little arms going slowly around his neck. "I wish I'd never bought into what your mom said that night.. But stupidly, I did. I mean I knew she didn't like me, so I figured that when she said all that, she was essentially rubbing it in my face, it never once occured to me that she knew you were on your way to tell me about our daughter and that you changed your mind, and she was stopping it before it happened.."

"Yeah, well try being me and finding out that she's controlled your every move your entire life. Not anymore, I'm done with that. It honestly sickens me that I did it this long, unknowingly.." Gianna said as Zack spoke up and said quietly, "We'll figure this out later.. For now, let's just sit here and watch fireworks."

"I'd like that." Gianna said as she smiled, scooted onto the hood of Tara's SUV, leaving room for Zack to slide on and sit also, Audrey settling across their laps.

Maybe tonight was the beginning of her life finally being the life she wanted.. She had to hope so, right?


	5. july 4th 2013 pt 3

_(Again, I am NOT claiming to know anyone on the roster personally, this is merely a what if that popped into my head, wouldn't go away. It might not be a very long story, I'm not quite sure yet, to be completely honest.)_

* * *

July 4th 2013 , continued

They sat there, lost in thought. Tonight had been probably a night they'd both wanted to happen for a really long time, but given what had happened last time they'd seen one another, neither of them honestly believed or felt they had the right to hope it'd happen ever.

Finally, the truth was out and Gianna seemed to realize just how much damage her mother had been doing to her life without her knowing before. This made her furious, of course, but now that she knew, she could take steps to stop it from getting worse or better still, even continuing.

She leaned against Zack, their daughter asleep between them, her head nestled against Zack's chest, her thumb in her mouth as Zack trailed his fingers through the sleeping girls hair slowly, looking down at Gianna and smiling. His other arm was around her, he was holding her close. This all felt like one of many 'dreams' he'd have while on the road, and alone, bitter about it, and he'd always be angry when he woke to discover that yes, it'd only been a dream, yet again.

They hadn't really talked since he'd walked over here, they were both still in a lot of shock, everyhing coming together like it had. Everything was shifting back to the way she'd always thought it should have been, but Gianna kept hearing her mother in her head, nagging at her, all the things she'd warned her away from over the years, and the things she'd said about Zack when she'd first found out Gianna was pregnant, wasn't going to give the baby away for adoption.

Then she kept hearing the fight she had with Jerome the night before and she got this feeling in the pit of her stomach that they were still going to face quite a few storms before their situation even got close to ideal. Could they make it together without giving up and walking away?

They'd been apart for so long, Gianna was sort of afraid.

Her cell phone rang and she bit her lip, growling to herself as she saw a text from Jerome, the man who was the reason for the black eye she had right now. She tapped Zack who took her phone and read it then growling said calmly, "Let him come down here. I wish he would. Because when I get my hands on the guy, I'm going to kill him."

Gianna sighed and then said "I need to handle this. My being an idiot, letting my mother brainwash me got us into this mess, babe."

"The hell you're handling it, Gianna. I'm going to handle it, this way he and your mother have a clear picture of how things are going to work from now on. And if your mom goes through with that custody case, I'll just talk to Otunga when I get back on the road.."

"When we get back on the road." Gianna corrected him, causing him to blink, then pull her against him, giving her an intense and passionate kiss. "You mean that?"

"Yes, I mean that. You're here now. There's no way I'm going to be stupid enough to let you go again." she muttered as Zack smiled at her, his hands on her cheeks, his thumb stroking the soft skin, being careful to avoid the bruise on her face.

"Wow.."

"Shh.. Just kiss me again." Gianna muttered as she leaned against him, repeating the kiss. Audrey's giggling had them both biting their lower lips, laughing to themselves as she clapped and said "Yay.. Daddy kissed mommy." before snuggling against Zack again, looking up at the sky. "Firework pwetty."

"They are.. not as pretty as my girls though." Zack said as he groaned when he caught sight of his friends coming back from the midway, all carrying probably the biggest stuffed animals there had been available to win. "We're never going to get all that into my car." he muttered as he tapped Gianna, getting her to look.

Audrey's eyes went wide and she giggled at seeing all the stuffed animals. Dolph walked over and then said "Didn't know whether she'd like the panda or the unicorn, so.." handing her a panda and a unicorn as Justin smirked and said "Thought I'd win a soccer ball. Maybe now I'll have someone to kick it around with, yeah?" before Santino stepped up and then said "Zey haf too many to choose from. So I win her thees." as he held out a zebra that was brightly colored, almost bigger than she was.

Kofi ran over and then said "Dude.. They're selling shetland ponies."

"We are not buying my baby girl a shetland pony."

"We are."

"We are not."

Gianna spoke up and then said with a smirk, "Shetland ponies bite." as Zack gave her a dirty look and said "Hey.. How the hell was I supposed to know it'd bite me on the ass that time?"

"Watch your mouth, Ryder, our baby girl is like a mockingbird. She repeats everything."

Audrey giggled and then tugged on Santino's pants, making him pick her up, looking at the guys who'd come with her dad to visit. "I wann go to petting zoo."

"That sounds like a good idea.. But Justin? You might wanna hang outside, buddy. There's a few jackasses inside already, if you go in they might not let you back out." Dolph joked as Justin gave him a shove and then said "Back at you, Ziggy."

The group walked towards the petting zoo. Zack was holding his daughter, and still trying to process everything that was happening. Maybe now his own life would finally feel less than empty and the hole was gone.

All in all, he was ready for whatever they'd have to face to finally be together.


End file.
